Middle aged, Uncool and Not Bringing Sexy Back

A Bus Load of Hate

Yes, just like you I am sicken by the racist chants made by SAE fraternity members at OU. To see those asses on a party bus doing a sing-song cheer about lynching makes me want to simultaneously hurl and pummel the entire frat.

But that is only the beginning of my gastric and emotional outrage. It was further heightened by comments I saw on my social media feeds from Texas acquaintances not so much defending the sub-human comments made by the Dallas based student but extolling the virtues of his “fine family” and “neighborhood” and “Christian upbringing.”

Umm, here’s the deal, just because you were raised in a privileged environment and have a jumbo house doesn’t make you “fine” or “upstanding.” It just means you have a decent cash flow or are carrying a lot of debt.

And just because you graduated from a religious high school doesn’t mean you have a “good heart” you know “deep down.”

This young man didn’t just go off to college and become an accidental racist. He didn’t just learn the N word. No. Racism is taught in the home. You learn it at an early age from your “fine” family. And for anyone to be comfortable warbling racial epitaphs much less crooning about lynching I think means you must have been brought up in an environment of hate.

Apparently this Texas young man found a surrogate hate family through his college frat.

But even more disturbing to me than the actions of the two men is the go along behavior of the entire bus. Where was the outrage from the sorority girls? Why didn’t other frat members yell shut the hell up or just punch the two guys hard in the face?

We strive to teach our children right and wrong. That all humans are created equal. But are we failing to teach them to take a stand, to speak up, to stop hate in its tracks?

As far as I’m concerned being a bystander or bus rider to racism and saying nothing makes you just as guilty.

Hate permeates. It smothers kindness. If you don’t take a stand it chokes out all the innate goodness the world has to offer.

It’s not enough anymore to teach our kids about equality. We have to empower them to have zero tolerance for racists. Most especially a party bus chocked full of them.

*Attention Snarky Friends, I have a brand new book out. It’s the second in the Snarky in the Suburbs series – Snarky in the Suburbs Trouble In Texas. You can buy it for your Kindle or in paperback on Amazon. It’s also available for the Nook or you can get it for your Kobo reader. Click on a link and give it a test read. I hope you like it! 🙂

Cheers to you for giving a voice to the thoughts and beliefs of so many in the face of this epically sad situation. And to those who would say “Not my son…” I say “open your eyes – Yes, your son. And you likely made him. The future he no longer has is because this is the legacy he inherited from you.” I’ve taught my children that the most powerful voice is not the Leader; it’s the First Follower – the second voice. This person sets the tone to either agree and build the momentum or disagree and stop the wave. We need to teach our kids that the strength is not with the idiot who puts forth a bad idea. It’s in the courageous individual willing to shut it down.

Thank you for saying what many of us think. If this behavior is tolerated by others what chance do students who are gay, disabled, or non “Christian” stand? The bystanders are just as guilty for tolerating this as those who engaged.

Yes! Let’s empower future generations to stand up for equality especially in the face of those who stand to spread the black cloud of hate. It is not just “whites” – racism and prejudice behavior are not bound by ethnic affiliation. I think once we realize and accept that, we can target a better plan to build a future for all people that is free of this bigoted image of our society.

They sure said, “That’s not us!” when they got caught, though. And dare I say it, but the go-along behavior is why they joined the frat or sorority in the first place: because the “went along” well enough. There’s a stereotype of the Greek culture for a reason and this is it: they’re based on how well they each conform to the group, or else they won’t be welcomed into the group. If you’re looking for maturity, individuality, and backbone, the Hellenic side of the campus is probably the last place you’ll find it.

Vintage Snarky

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